1976 Pontiac Grand Prix: Quad Headlamps, 50 Years of Pontiac, and the Last 455

This record's own dek states that 1976 brought quad headlamps and a 50th-anniversary year for Pontiac, and the last Grand Prix 455. This record's own overview states that MuscleCarClub, crediting the Standard Catalog of Pontiac, gives 1976 Grand Prix production as 228,091, split between a base "J" hardtop at 110,814, an "SJ" hardtop at 88,232, and an "LJ" hardtop at 29,045, and that the compiled engine tables list a 400 cid V8 at 170 hp and 310 lb-ft, a 350 cid V8 at 160 hp and 280 lb-ft, a second 400 cid V8 at 185 hp and 310 lb-ft, and the 455 cid V8 at 200 hp and 330 lb-ft, all SAE net as compiled with no rpm given.¹

This record's own keyFacts section states that for 1976 the base Grand Prix's standard engine was a 350 two-barrel V-8, with a 350 four-barrel in California, while the SJ and LJ came with the 400 four-barrel and the 455 four-barrel was available; it also gives factory prices of $4,798 for the Grand Prix and $5,223 for the SJ, noting the Standard Catalog lists no separate LJ price. This record's own engines section carries all five entries matching this account: the 400 two-barrel code R at 170 hp and 310 lb-ft, the standard 350 two-barrel at 160 hp and 280 lb-ft, the 400 four-barrel at 185 hp and 310 lb-ft standard on the SJ and LJ, the available 455 four-barrel at 200 hp and 330 lb-ft, and a California-only standard 350 four-barrel with no rating recorded.^2,1

This record's own production section carries four rows, the 110,814-unit J, the 88,232-unit SJ, the 29,045-unit LJ, and the 228,091 total, with a note that the source presents the J, SJ and LJ rows as summing to the total; a second note states plainly that no production figure for the 1976 Golden Anniversary Grand Prix was found in any source that could be cited, and a third states no engine, transmission, paint or trim counts were found. This record's own unpublishedLeads section carries exactly that flagged claim: that of the 228,091 total, 4,807 were Golden 50th Anniversary editions built between October 1 and December 12, 1975, sourced only to a dealer and collector listing and an uncited tertiary repetition, with no factory or Standard Catalog confirmation reached. This record's own transmissions section lists a single entry, Turbo Hydra-matic, standard.¹

This record's own options section itemizes a Grand Prix SJ golden anniversary package at $550 and a Grand Prix LJ luxury appointments group at $336, along with a long list of individually named options: a full or landau-style Cordova top, a sunroof, leather seats, a Rally gauge instrument cluster with tachometer, power windows, electric door locks, an AM/FM stereo radio, automatic temperature control air conditioning, remote control sport mirrors, a reclining passenger bucket seat, a custom sport steering wheel, custom finned wheel covers, Rally II or Honeycomb wheels, cruise control, a Rally RTS Handling Package with GR70-15 tires, a controlled-cycle windshield wiper system, and an all-Morrokide 60/40 full-width seat; it also itemizes the SJ's and LJ's own equipment content by name, each ending in the 400 four-barrel V-8.

This record's own interiors section carries five entries: the standard Grand Prix notchback full-width seat in cloth and vinyl or all-vinyl with cut-pile carpeting and rosewood-look appliques; a cloth interior shown in firethorn and also available in blue and black; the SJ's own standard cloth bucket seats shown in firethorn and also available in black and buckskin; the LJ's own available genuine leather buckets shown in mahogany and also available in buckskin; and the available all-Morrokide 60/40 full-width seat shown in white and also available in buckskin and firethorn.

This record's own specifications section gives shipping weights of 4,048 pounds for the J hardtop and 4,052 pounds for the SJ hardtop, a 212.7-inch overall length, 77.8-inch overall width, 116.0-inch wheelbase shared across the Grand Prix, SJ and LJ, front/rear track of 61.6/61.1 inches, front/rear head room of 37.2/36.9 inches, front/rear leg room of 42.5/33.5 inches, front/rear shoulder room of 58.8/58.1 inches, front/rear hip room of 54.9/52.7 inches, a 25-US-gallon fuel tank, a 22.1-quart cooling system, and GR78-15 GM-specification steel-belted radials on Radial Tuned Suspension.²

This record's own performance and conflicts sections are both empty for the year, leaving no period road test and no disputed figure on record for the 1976 Grand Prix. This record's own identification section gives series 2G, body style J57 for the Grand Prix and K57 for the SJ, noting the LJ row carries no body number in the source's own search text.²